"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Blake Su posted up Kobe, took one hard bump, then turned halfway. With his clear height advantage, Blake Su rose straight into a turnaround jumper.
But Kobe stayed glued to him, exploding upward with everything he had. His contest still carried real pressure.
Even so.
"Swish!"
Blake Su still buried the jumper.
Guarding Kobe was tough for him, but Kobe guarding him was just as tough. In fact, now that Blake Su had added a post-up game, it had become even harder.
"I copied you? Blake Su, what's that supposed to mean?!"
As they ran back on defense, Kobe pressed him for an answer. Blake Su shrugged and laughed. "Because Jordan taught me my post game. Sure, your footwork has roots in Hakeem Olajuwon's moves.
"But there's no denying you also copied some of Jordan's footwork.
"So saying you copied me doesn't seem wrong either."
"Ah!"
"So that's what it was!"
Although Kobe did not accept Blake Su's final comment, he finally understood why Blake Su's post-up moves looked so similar to his own.
As they spoke, Fisher brought the ball up, lofted it high, and Bynum, who had sealed off Frye under the rim, caught it and hammered down the dunk.
On the next possession, Pau Gasol got a mismatch against Curry. He backed him down mercilessly on the low block, muscled his way inside, and tossed up a small hook. Curry could only look on helplessly.
"Swish!"
That went in too.
Then it was Pau Gasol again, this time on the left block against Frye. He used a probing step and a fake drive, then rose straight up for a mid-range jumper.
"Swish!"
Another make.
As the team's second option, Pau Gasol's offensive ability was truly impressive.
As for center Bynum, aside from protecting the boards, his desire to score tonight was also unusually strong. After all, the man defending him was the undersized Frye.
His efficiency was a little worse, but Bynum's aggression was absolutely there.
On top of that, Fisher, who usually waited on the perimeter for Kobe's kick-out threes, attacked the basket several times tonight whenever Nash or Curry was guarding him.
His efficiency was not bad either.
As a result, aside from Kobe, their strongest point, Pau Gasol, Bynum, and Fisher were all playing well on the offensive end.
As for "The Beast" Artest, since so many of his teammates could score, he poured his energy into defense, continuing to hound Blake Su and apply as much defensive pressure as possible.
Back and forth they went.
With 2:01 left in the third quarter.
"Swish!"
After Kobe drove in for a layup, the Lakers had erased the 8-point deficit and tied the game, bringing both teams back to the same starting line.
By the end of the third quarter, the Lakers entered the final period with a 3-point lead.
During the break between quarters.
On the Suns' bench.
Although the gap was only 3 points, Alvin Gentry's brows were tightly furrowed, and his heart sank.
"Blake Su has already scored 37 points through three quarters. And on top of that, he's used his own scoring threat to create plenty of good looks for his teammates.
"Yet we're still down by three.
"This isn't an offensive problem. Our defense has a serious issue. Aside from Blake Su, Frye and Carter are only average defensively.
"As for Nash and Curry, they're relatively weak on that end.
"When we run into a team like the Lakers, a team with multiple scoring options and a defense-first identity, the pressure on us becomes enormous.
"That's exactly what happened the last time we played them.
"In the end, Blake Su dropped 65 points, hit 13 threes, then dragged the team to a comeback with a game-winning steal and layup.
"But we can't keep counting on Blake Su to score 60-plus every game against teams this strong.
"We're giving up too many points. With our current roster, there's nothing to worry about offensively, but the defense is a huge problem. At the very least, we need one more strong defensive point.
"And this is still only the regular season.
"Once the playoffs arrive and the defensive intensity rises even higher, if our own defense can't keep up, our opponents may catch us completely off guard.
"It looks like we need to use George as soon as possible."
The more Coach Gentry thought about it, the more he felt danger on every side. The more he thought about it, the more urgent it felt to strengthen the team's defense.
...
On the court.
Before long, the final quarter began.
It started with the bench units facing off, and the gap between the second units was still there. By the 3:13 mark, the difference had once again stretched to 8 points, but this time, it was the Lakers who led.
"Beep, beep!"
Alvin Gentry called a timeout.
Curry and Carter returned first. As soon as Curry came back in, he drilled a three, and he did it under Odom's defense. It was a fearless shot.
Immediately after that, he was still matched up against Odom. With no screen, Curry used a series of wide behind-the-back changes of direction, shook Odom loose, then pulled up from one step beyond the three-point line.
Another three.
"Thud!"
Odom, tall and long-armed, lunged forward to contest.
But Curry's release was too fast. He still got the shot off, and once again, it pierced the net.
In less than a minute, Curry scored 6 straight points and cut the deficit to just 2. On the other end, Odom assisted Brown for a layup.
But then.
"Clang!"
Carter received Curry's behind-the-back pass, attacked the paint along the baseline, and finished with a hanging banked layup, putting the talent of "Half-Man, Half-Amazing" on display once again.
"Boom!"
The arena instantly erupted with cheers for Carter.
"Beep, beep!"
With Curry and Carter checking in early, their fierce firepower instantly turned the situation and momentum around. Coach Phil Jackson had no choice but to call a timeout.
...
At the commentary desk.
Mike Breen smiled faintly and said, "In this fourth quarter, Curry and Carter have completely opened up offensively. That's absolutely good news for the final battle coming next."
"Yes."
Van Gundy nodded and said, "The Suns' strength lies in their offense. Once they get their run-and-gun system going, that kind of offensive firepower is enough to give even the defending champions a real headache."
As the two spoke, the short timeout ended.
Blake Su and Kobe checked in at the same time, and the home arena ignited once again. Everyone knew the final showdown between the Lakers and the Suns had arrived!
...
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